Pixar are not simply making a great animated film here, these films will last
for generations of adults and children. Unlike, say a Shrek, there is no dated
humor that will prove stale as the flavors of the week pass on. Toy Story deals
with, at its most basic root, the universal interaction of children and toys - their
imaginative communication and playful reflections and musings as adults. It is
this development of imagination that molds children into the people
that we now are. It can instill compassion and respect and no film in the
history of cinema has expressed that importance better than the Toy Story films.
What makes them so wonderful are the ability to appeal to both kids and adults.
I easily put Toy Story 2 in my Top 100 DVDs of all time.... and the
original is not far behind.

NOTE:The below
Blu-ray
captures were taken directly from the
Blu-ray
disc.

ADDITION- Disney - Region FREE -
Blu-ray March 2010:

Firstly, there is also a package of this film in a DVD Keep case
HERE - for the exact
same price. The edition I am reviewing is housed in a standard
Blu-ray
case (inside slip-case) - although I suspect content is exactly the same
with both also including the second disc DVD.

When you put the disc in you select your language (English, French or
Spanish) and then you are directed to the appropriate menus. The film
language versions are seamlessly branched to bring onscreen signs/text

in relation to the language you have selected.

My first impressions were that, of the 900+
Blu-rays I own, Toy Story is quite possibly the
most impressive looking and sounding. Visually, it
looks absolutely magnificent without a pixel out of place. Colors are
warmer and detail and depth seem unreal they are so precise. This will
be one of my first choices to demo my system to friends. The
dimensionality seems to have benefited the most in the move to 1080P
resolution. As we have said in the past -
digital animation is that it is essentially
flawless - it should have none of the common deficiencies that we can
find when transferring live-action film to high-definition digital -
things like edge-enhancement or noise removal manipulation. Haze and
blurriness are intentional effects to create the perception of motion.
Out-of-focus experiences are simply created to make the true focal
object more primary to our vision. By rendering digital animation to
Blu-ray
we should be able to obtain the highest accuracy of the original. This
is a prime example and I'll wager it actually looks better than
theatrical - dependant on your individual system. It is easily the
absolute best I have ever seen the medium look on my plasma. Hopefully
the screen captures will bear this out to some degree.

The DTS-HD Master 5.1 track at a responsive
4429 kbps takes no backseat to the perfection of the video.
Right from the opening Disney logo, crispy bouncing effects around the
room, to Randy Newman's nasal crooning to Rex's faux growl - it sound
stunning at times. The pristine video may be demonstration but the audio
IS reference with effects dynamically well separated and tight
with exceptional range. There are optional subtitles and my Momitsu
has identified
it as being a region FREE disc playable on
Blu-ray
machines worldwide.

We get the same commentary but plenty of
new, if short, featurettes in HD and an initial plug for the highly
anticipated The Story: An Exclusive Sneak Peek at Toy Story 3
running 2-minutes. In the Buzz Lightyear Mission Logs: - Episode
One: Blast Off – Buzz reports back about his adventure to the
International Space Station. Paths to Pixar: Artists – In this
series of shorts, Pixar artists talk about their career path and share
advice to aspiring filmmakers and animators. Studio Stories: A series of
amusing anecdotal shorts about life at Pixar. “John’s Car”
recounts how Toy Story director John Lasseter refused to stop
driving his beat-up car even after the film’s success. “Baby AJ”
tells the hilarious story of how important Halloween is to the Pixar
team and how one Pixar employee dressed up as the oversized baby from
the short Tin Toy to win a prize. “Scooter Races” takes
the audience on a rousing scooter race around the studio with John
Lasseter and other employees. Buzz Takes Manhattan – is
spectacular footage from Buzz Lightyear’s premiere as a Macy’s
Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon running 2-minutes. Black Friday: The
Toy Story You Never Saw – is described as the Toy Story
filmmakers discuss the early cut of the film that very nearly shut down
production entirely. There is also a "Maximize Your Home Theater"
calibration test/reset for those interested. I was suspecting that the 2nd disc DVD would simply
be the first disc from the last edition, but instead it is the exact
same as the
Blu-ray extras
- with the feature, of course, being in SD.

This is the most beautiful looking and sounding disc I own. Here's the
phenomenal thing - my two kids sat glued to the screen even after all
these years - as did I! I can't wait for Toy Story 2 and
The Incredibles but
as it stands this
Blu-ray
gets our highest ever recommendation. I was blown away scene after
scene. Buy with extreme confidence.

ON THE DVDs: The new edition is advertised as Remastered picture and sound including High Digital
"Bit Rate" and DTS Audio. Personally, I found nothing wrong with
the first issue and had I reviewed it I would have given an almost
perfect score in most areas. The Anniversary releases indeed has
improved in a few important areas, but for many the image and audio
benefits will only be marginally felt (if at all). We made the
assumption that the original single box release is the exact same
edition as in the 2-pack (with Toy Story 2). Noted detail differences
are here:

- The Anniversary issue is very minutely brighter and
sharper, but noticeable only on extensive zooming-in (projection users
will also notice if they look very closely). It is more vibrant for
lack of a better word.

- to my
ear the audio in the DTS track is superior and a little more dynamic.
- the new release has a commentary and extensive
additions (see above listing)

-
optional subtitles are still yellow, but more prominent in the new
Anniversary edition.

We are
still digging through and we will continue to post more as we discover
details.